


Fifty-Two Card Pickup

by StarboundVoyager



Series: Assorted Card Tricks [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Anal Sex, Biting, Bottom Thancred Waters, Card Games, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Flirting, Hair-pulling, M/M, Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal Spoilers, Pet Names, Pining, Post-Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal, Sloppy Makeouts, Touch-Starved Thancred Waters, just a little bit of pining though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:00:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28014357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarboundVoyager/pseuds/StarboundVoyager
Summary: Riol isn't the only one who can't sleep. His fellow night owl offers something far more appealing than solo card games.
Relationships: Thancred Waters/Riol Forrest
Series: Assorted Card Tricks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055114
Comments: 19
Kudos: 42





	Fifty-Two Card Pickup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tareacel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tareacel/gifts), [Finksalion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finksalion/gifts).



> Special thanks and love to Tara, Bex and Whimsy of the book club for being endlessly enthusiastic about the strange 12-hour rollercoaster that led to me writing my first full smut. <3

Tap. Cut. Riffle. Cascade.

Deal out seven cards.

Deal out another six.

Riol wouldn't call Patience his game of choice, but when you're the last one awake not on patrol, companions are in short supply, and ones that play a decent game of cards even shorter. The quiet of the Rising Stones is interspersed only with the occasional echo of revelry from the Seventh Heaven upstairs, or Tataru humming as she rearranges the bar again. Ephemie will complain when she can't find anything in the morning, but it's not worth explaining to Tataru that she's more hindrance than help as bar staff.

Deal five.

Deal four.

Deal three.

Not that he's not grateful for the peace and quiet. The frantic energy of watching the Archons and the twins succumb to summons from the First with no way to help, then the anxious tension of waiting for him- them to come back was unpleasant, something Riol would happily never experience again.

Deal two.

Deal one.

Flip.

He's halfway through flipping his first row of cards when the door to the Dawn's Respite opens. Everyone aside from Tataru and Krile have made a point to keep their distance from the Respite without good reason, to afford those convalescing a decent amount of privacy. In the spirit of that privacy, Riol doesn't look up, just continues to flip his card, but there's no mistaking the soft, balanced footsteps making their way to his table.

Bollocks, nothing.

Deal one on the side.

Better.

The chair opposite is pulled out, and Thancred slides into it. Riol considers his cards, plotting out his movements. Thancred leans his forearms on the table, hands clasped before him. Close enough to reach out and take his remaining deck, shuffling through in a gentle overhand.

Move.

Shuffle.

Flip.

"I'm going to be needing some o' those cards, friend."

Thancred pauses, before leaning over and dealing out seven new cards onto Riol's stacks. The state of his game suddenly improves. Thancred huffs, amused.

"I'm not normally that lucky."

"Aye, you're normally scrapin' the bottom a' the barrel and strutting about like you're holdin' a flush." Thancred's lip quirks up at the corner, which is the closest to a smile Riol's seen since his return.

"I don't _strut_."

"Ye bloody well _do_ ," Riol chuckled. "Never seen someone so proud o' a high card."

"I prefer the long game."

"Oh, the long game? In that case, I'm gonna need ye to deal me out again, _sugar_ , and see if ye can make this round as sweet as the last." Riol finally makes eye contact with him, matching Thancred's smirk with one of his own.

Thancred stands, letting his chair slide back on the floor. His thighs press against the table as he leans further over, maintaining eye contact inches from Riol. There's a brief moment where his focus shifts; gaze flicking down to Riol's lips for a fraction of a second. Thancred's own lips part, and the faint warmth of his breath ghosts along Riol's jaw.

Shuffle.

Deal.

Hmm.

"Looks like that luck o' yers is a one-and-done deal, eh?" Riol glances back up from the cards, expecting a witty response. Instead, Thancred hasn't moved, pressed against the table, hands splayed either side of Riol's cards. His gaze lingers on Riol's lips again.

"See something ye like?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"Aye, maybe I do. But maybe I like playing the _long game_."

Thancred sighs, and the next thing Riol knows, there are lips on his, chapped and warm, and the scent of Thancred's cologne; something rich and sweet that fills Riol's lungs when he gasps in surprise.

Thancred pulls back. He licks at his lips, catching Riol's with the tip of his tongue, and makes a sharp noise when Riol reacts. Riol's chair scrapes loudly against the floor as he stands, but it doesn't deter him from continuing, chasing Thancred to suck _hard_ on his tongue. Using a hand behind Thancred's head to drag him closer, Riol feels a thrill go down his back when Thancred makes that same noise again. It's too low to be a whimper, and not quite loud enough to count as a moan.

Not quite loud enough, _yet_.

Thancred lets out a shuddering sigh and the table shifts slightly beneath them. Riol pulls back, stroking a hand through Thancred's hair while they both catch their breath. The strands are long enough to twirl around his fingers in a satisfying way.

"Enjoying yourself?" Thancred asks, voice just slightly husky. His lips shine, spit-smeared and swollen in a very distracting way.

"I hope ye don't mind me sayin' I'm missin' that long hair of yours, darlin'"

Thancred laughs, "Would you rather I still looked like a man who spent weeks in the wilderness with neither a mirror nor a shaving kit?"

Riol smiles, letting his fingers tangle in the back of his hair. His thumb brushes the back of Thancred's neck, pressing into that space between his hairline and his choker, relishing in the way Thancred shivers.

"Not sayin' I don't appreciate the effort ye make, but it woulda made it easier to do _this-_ "

Thancred lets out a whine, high and breathy, when Riol uses the grip on his hair to guide his head up and back. The motion forces Thancred's hips against the table, making it rock again, and exposes his neck.

Unable to resist temptation, Riol leans down, savouring the smell of cologne on Thancred's shirt and the rapid rise of his chest, before licking a long stripe up his neck.

"Looks like I was right about one thing, _sugar._ That's an accurate name for ye." Riol taunts, blowing gently across the wet skin and enjoying the jerk of Thancred's entire body as he squirms, trapped between Riol's grip and the merciless edge of the table.

He holds Thancred there a little bit longer, basking in his gasps as Thancred teeters on his tiptoes against the edge of the table. Riol leans down to the patch of skin he'd licked, now cool and damp in the night air, and presses his lips to it in a mockery of an innocent kiss. He starts by peppering kisses along the length of Thancred's tattoo, slowly applying more force until he's sucking deep bruises.

By the time Riol is satisfied with the delicate shades of pink and purple splashed across one side of his neck, Thancred's breathing is heavy and ragged. Riol kisses him on the temple softly, smiling when Thancred leans into him with a soft groan.

"I think we oughta move somewhere private, darlin',"

* * *

Riol's room might be sparsely decorated, and as Tataru put it, "in need of a little brightening up", but it's quiet, private and has a soft, spacious double bed - Riol's most prized possession.

Not that they get to the bed immediately. Riol turns to lock the door and Thancred uses this to his advantage, wrapping thick arms around Riol's waist. His hands immediately go wandering, playing with the folds of his belts.

"Are ye planning on untying those or d'ye just fancy standin' here all night?" Riol asks, looking back over his shoulder.

Thancred glances up at him, pressing closer to his back to draw Riol into a kiss which immediately deepens. Riol traces the seam of Thancred's lips with his tongue and groans when Thancred's hips roll against his arse.

They stay like that, until Thancred's breath begins to come in gasps and his grinding against Riol becomes frantic. Taking Thancred by the hands, Riol frees himself and turns, moving his grip to Thancred's elbows when he staggers backwards.

"Well I don't make a habit of actually sweepin' people off a' their feet, I thought that woulda been more like ye." Riol smiles, although it drops off his face when he sees the way the colour has drained a little from Thancred's face.

"And I think that ends the standin' part o' the evenin'!" He eases Thancred down onto the bed and kisses him sweetly, brushing the sweat away from his hairline.

"I can-" Thancred breaks away, tugging at the laces of Riol's waistcoat.

"Ye're doin' just fine, sweetheart, but I don't want ye overdoin' it."

"But- I-," Thancred swallows, closing his eyes while Riol strokes his hair, "...okay."

"I'll look after ye, darlin'," Riol promises, kneeling at Thancred's feet and grinning up at him in a way that makes Thancred's heart swell and pulls at his lips.

"And a smile! First I've seen from ye in a while!"

Thancred is rewarded with a firm hand on his waist and another at the seam of his trousers, teasing against the waistband. Riol eases them open, pulling at Thancred's shirt to scatter gentle kisses across his belly. He feels the muscles in Thancred's abdomen tense and relax under his lips, his breath deepening as he gets comfortable in Riol's hands.

"Hips up, sugar," He murmurs, sucking on the faint rise of Thancred's pelvis. When Thancred braces against the bed to lift his hips, Riol drags his trousers down to his knees.

And just his trousers.

Thancred huffs, cheeks colouring a deeper shade of pink, "I was in _bed_ before this, you know."

"I'm not judgin' ye," Riol hums, taking a grip on Thancred's dick before he can respond. In comparison to the table and Riol's backside, it's clear that a warm, tight hand around him is the stimulation Thancred was craving. He tips his head back with a desperate groan, using his hands to lift his hips again and thrust into Riol's grasp.

"That's it, come on sugar, let's hear ye," Thancred tips his head forward instead, lifting a hand to press against his mouth, so Riol changes tactic and reaches underneath his bed. When he pulls out a bottle of oil, he makes eye contact with Thancred and waves the bottle at him.

Thancred's response is a high pitched whimper that barely escapes around his hand as he tries to nod and smother his noises at the same time.

Riol flicks the stopper out of the bottle with his thumb, and uses it to half cover the opening while he drizzles lubricant over his occupied hand and Thancred's dick. Thancred gasps when the cold liquid touches his head, reaching out for Riol when he starts up a smooth rhythm.

Thancred finally catches hold of Riol's shirt, tugging at the collar until the seams protest, and Riol is dragged up onto his knees to kiss Thancred. It's nothing like their kisses before; Thancred dives in, holding Riol's jaw with both hands and biting at his lips.

Riol can't help but laugh when he adds a gentle twisting motion on an upward stroke and Thancred yelps, almost landing in his lap as his hips chase Riol's hand.

"Please-" Thancred gasps, reaching up to fist a hand in his own hair.

"Not yet, darlin'," Riol leans up, kissing Thancred on the nose and dislodging the hand from his hair.

"Can ye get yourself ready if I give ye the oil?"

Thancred nods, letting Riol drip oil over his fingers.

"Take yer time, sweetheart, make yoursel' feel good, yeah?"

"Actually I was planning on undoing all your hard work- a-ah!" Riol leans up from where he was removing Thancred's boots to bite sharply on the soft meat of his thigh.

"If ye can still sass me, I take it I need to work _harder,_ " He answers, grazing his teeth down Thancred's thigh and sucking a taunting bruise into the delicate inside of his knee before switching to the other side.

Thancred's oiled fingers slip down between his legs, working frantically to prepare himself. Even though Riol told him to be gentle, it's plain that he's rushing through the process.

"Easy, slow down. We got all night if ye need it." The kisses against Thancred's legs turn sweet again, soft spots of comfort and the occasional thrilling point of suction that makes Thancred's legs twitch.

He does slow down, but not for long, and eventually Thancred is dragging at his shirt again, leaning back onto the bed to pull Riol on top of him.

"I'm ready," Thancred insists, shaking his boots and trousers free at last. His shirt is yanked over his head and tossed onto the floor too.

Riol strips his own shirt off, unfastening his pants and kicking off his shoes as he crawls onto the bed over Thancred. He pulls Thancred into a simple kiss, then drops his hips to grind against him. The friction is heavenly, and Thancred's soft whine in his mouth is even better.

"Now, now please, before I combust," Thancred pants, holding Riol by the hips and trying to drag him down between his legs.

Riol laughs, settling himself and tucking one of Thancred's legs over his shoulder, "I said I'd look after ye," and presses into Thancred, savouring the way Thancred opens up for him.

Thancred immediately reaches down to stroke himself through the onslaught, chest heaving and eyes glistening.

"Breathe, sugar, I'm here," Riol turns to the unmarred side of Thancred's neck, laying on kisses and bites that make Thancred howl and tighten around him.

Thancred comes first, gasping and crying into Riol's mouth as he finishes himself off and clings to him. Riol isn't far behind, pulling out to add to the mess on Thancred's stomach. He reaches over to his bedside table for a cloth to clean up, kissing the sensitive skin once more as he wipes away the mess.

Riol helps Thancred crawl up the bed and under the covers. The afterglow combined with the fatigue of exertion hits him quickly, and it's a challenge to help him fumble his way underneath the heavy duvet that will ward off the chill of the night. Riol tucks himself in behind Thancred, curling around his back and lacing their fingers together.

"Thank you," Thancred whispers, holding their joined hands to his face and pressing tiny, sleep-blurred kisses to Riol's fingers.

"Ye got nothing to thank me for, sugar," Riol sighs, pulling Thancred closer and letting his thumb stroke gently over Thancred's cheekbone until he drifts off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This was heavily inspired and motivated by the lovely people in the [Book Club](https://discord.gg/enabling-debauched-xivfic) which you can join if you'd like to chat to me and others who love FFXIV fanfiction.


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